With the fight world still coming to grips with a shifting landscape for UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, there could be yet more changes with Paulo Costa’s place on the main card in doubt.
The Brazilian is due to face Khamzat Chimaev in an eagerly anticipated middleweight bout in the co-main event, but Dana White confirmed there was a possibility of it falling through due to injury.
Will Paulo Costa’s fight with Khamzat Chimaev go ahead at UFC 294?
Costa sent UFC fans into a spin when he claimed he had surgery three weeks ago to treat a bursitis infection in his right elbow.
MORE: Alex Volkanovski to face Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 after Charles Oliveira injury
‘Borrachinha’ revealed he had attempted to hide the setback five weeks out from the fight from the UFC as he showcased the post-surgery damage on social media.
In a press conference, where he confirmed Alex Volkanovski would be replacing Charles Oliveira in the main event, White also acknowledged Costa’s fight was up in the air.
“Yeah, it’s possible,” he replied when asked whether the co-main event could fall through.
“Unless another f***ing big mouth pops up out of somewhere…hopefully, it will be within a couple of hours and I’ll have an answer for you.”
White was referencing the fact the news of Oliveira’s eye injury and subsequent withdrawal from the lightweight title fight had first started to break hours earlier in the fighter’s home country.
“I would have announced it hours ago,” White said.
“Except I was waiting for the guys to wake up in Abu Dhabi to let them know before we reported it.
“But these guys that surround these guys down in Brazil just can’t keep their f***ing mouths shut. It came out of Oliveira’s camp, apparently. It’s just f***ing part of the business.
“I would have liked to have talked to the powers that be in Abu Dhabi before it got announced but people can’t keep their f***ing mouths shut for whatever reason.”
UFC 294 fight card
Islam Makhachev vs. Alex Volkanovski for UFC lightweight championship
Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev; middleweight
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker; light heavyweight
Nassourdine Imavov vs. Ikram Aliskerov; middleweight
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Muin Gafurov; bantamweight
Tim Elliott vs. Muhammad Mokaev; flyweight
Mohammad Yahya vs. Trevor Peek; lightweight
Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry; bantamweight
Abu Azaitar vs. Sedriques Dumas; middleweight
Mike Breeden vs. Anshul Jubli; lightweight
Nathaniel Wood vs. Muhammad Naimov; featherweight
Viktoriia Dudakova vs. Jinh Yu Frey; women’s strawweight
Shara Magomedov vs. Bruno Silva; middleweight